"Kiana" is Zulu for a change in seasons, which is why September is my favorite month of the year. New England transforms during the month of September. The air becomes crisp like a snap and each inhale proves more fresh and satisfying than the one before. The temperature drops enough to throw on a sweater and go apple picking for another crisp, tasty delight. What's not to love? But the thing that makes September extra spectacular is that my mom and I share a birthday, only three days apart. So during this very special month we get to spoil ourselves a little by going shopping and treating ourselves to girl time over our steamy pumpkin spice lattes. September is the month of mom.
I love my mom for many reasons. She has always had an influence over me, like most moms have an influence over their children. But my mom is special! Aside from the fact that my mom is a passionate employee, a determined woman who can run marathons, and a friend who always laughs at my sassy jokes, my mom is also the single most supportive influence in my life. No matter what I want to pursue, she will back me up, 100 percent of the time. This is why I took part in so many activities as a child. I wanted to do everything! Mom signed me up for soccer, lacrosse, basketball, track, and figure skating over the years. Not to mention non-physical activities such as piano lessons, voice lessons, summer camps, and even the flute for a few breathless weeks. And with all of these activities she would drive me around from one activity to the next, on top of her part time job. I almost feel bad thinking about how much stress I must have caused her. Through her sacrifice, she has allowed me to become well rounded and able to juggle a multitude of things. I owe that to her.
My mother has also had a great impact on me culturally. One cool thing about my mom is that she is from South Africa. With her nativity, she has taught me the importance of discovering the world for myself. Not only does she tell me to get out there and experience the world for myself, but again she supports me immensely in my travels and our travels together. I am lucky to have been able to travel a lot already in my life, each adventure impacting my life in different ways that contribute to my goals, ambitions, and personality–making friends along the way. If it weren't for my mom, I'm not sure I would have that. I would be missing a huge part of who I am.
But wait! There's more! On top of it all, my mom will always be there to listen and understand when I am going through a rough patch. Over the years, I have had a few rough patches... not so much like going down the bad path or hanging around with the wrong kids, but I've had times where I've had too much on my plate, felt too stressed out, and felt as though I couldn't handle the mass of it all. In these times, my mom's motherly instincts emerge and help me through the haze. One of the most stressful times of my life was my freshman year of high school. I had just moved to a new school in the middle of the year, left all my friends behind, and had to get a surprise surgery all in the same week. My surgery had me limping around a big, strange school, without friends or extracurricular activities to distract me from the weight of it all. It was a rough transition to say the least. I wasn't myself for a while. But no matter how out of it I was, my mom would listen to me complain, not get upset at me for being nasty, and always have nice encouraging words to make me feel better. She was my outlet and still is.
Over the years my mom has molded me with her influence. I have so much to thank her for. She is the reason I aspire to find passion in what I do, she has provided me with the opportunities of travel and the extracurricular. I know my mom will always be there for me when the going gets hard. If I wanted to be an astronaut, my mom would say "Go and be an astronaut!" If I wanted to be a truck driver, my mom would probably ask if it would make me happy first, but she would support me still. On an insane day, my mom is always my sanity, my clear thoughts that guide me. Without my mom, I don't think I would have the same positive outlook on life that I do now, because I wouldn't know what's out there in the world. I wouldn't have a reliable person to turn to. I would have one less person to learn from. I owe everything to my mom.
Things my Mother Taught Me: Everything good comes in moderation. You can do anything, but love what you do. BE PASSIONATE. If it doesn't feel right, it's not right. Always make time for the people you love. Travel and Culture are important. Take risks.
I love my mom for many reasons. She has always had an influence over me, like most moms have an influence over their children. But my mom is special! Aside from the fact that my mom is a passionate employee, a determined woman who can run marathons, and a friend who always laughs at my sassy jokes, my mom is also the single most supportive influence in my life. No matter what I want to pursue, she will back me up, 100 percent of the time. This is why I took part in so many activities as a child. I wanted to do everything! Mom signed me up for soccer, lacrosse, basketball, track, and figure skating over the years. Not to mention non-physical activities such as piano lessons, voice lessons, summer camps, and even the flute for a few breathless weeks. And with all of these activities she would drive me around from one activity to the next, on top of her part time job. I almost feel bad thinking about how much stress I must have caused her. Through her sacrifice, she has allowed me to become well rounded and able to juggle a multitude of things. I owe that to her.
My mother has also had a great impact on me culturally. One cool thing about my mom is that she is from South Africa. With her nativity, she has taught me the importance of discovering the world for myself. Not only does she tell me to get out there and experience the world for myself, but again she supports me immensely in my travels and our travels together. I am lucky to have been able to travel a lot already in my life, each adventure impacting my life in different ways that contribute to my goals, ambitions, and personality–making friends along the way. If it weren't for my mom, I'm not sure I would have that. I would be missing a huge part of who I am.
But wait! There's more! On top of it all, my mom will always be there to listen and understand when I am going through a rough patch. Over the years, I have had a few rough patches... not so much like going down the bad path or hanging around with the wrong kids, but I've had times where I've had too much on my plate, felt too stressed out, and felt as though I couldn't handle the mass of it all. In these times, my mom's motherly instincts emerge and help me through the haze. One of the most stressful times of my life was my freshman year of high school. I had just moved to a new school in the middle of the year, left all my friends behind, and had to get a surprise surgery all in the same week. My surgery had me limping around a big, strange school, without friends or extracurricular activities to distract me from the weight of it all. It was a rough transition to say the least. I wasn't myself for a while. But no matter how out of it I was, my mom would listen to me complain, not get upset at me for being nasty, and always have nice encouraging words to make me feel better. She was my outlet and still is.
Over the years my mom has molded me with her influence. I have so much to thank her for. She is the reason I aspire to find passion in what I do, she has provided me with the opportunities of travel and the extracurricular. I know my mom will always be there for me when the going gets hard. If I wanted to be an astronaut, my mom would say "Go and be an astronaut!" If I wanted to be a truck driver, my mom would probably ask if it would make me happy first, but she would support me still. On an insane day, my mom is always my sanity, my clear thoughts that guide me. Without my mom, I don't think I would have the same positive outlook on life that I do now, because I wouldn't know what's out there in the world. I wouldn't have a reliable person to turn to. I would have one less person to learn from. I owe everything to my mom.
Things my Mother Taught Me:
Everything good comes in moderation.
You can do anything, but love what you do.
BE PASSIONATE.
If it doesn't feel right, it's not right.
Always make time for the people you love.
Travel and Culture are important.
Take risks.